Dispensing container



Feb- 6, 1951 R. B. cARTwRIGHT DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed June 28, 1947 Patented Feb. 6, 1951 UNITED PATENT QFFICE-l- DISPENSIN G vCONTAINER,

Robert `Barnes Cartwright, Peoria,r Ill.'-

Applicationluner, 1947,. Serial-No..7.5,7,702 4 4f' oiaims; (or, 229-7)- This inventionpertains .topaper boxes forpack-v aging cereals or other dryl iiowable. materials. More y,particularly the invention is .directed to-the structure inv boxes or. packages. of relatively. stiff paper wherein a portion.thereoffservesalkeas a pouringspout, ,andas a closure member..

In the present instan-eea portion of the,- struc? ture is so constructed.andiarrangedastolie ad; jacent the .top wallof the .boxand in4 one position there-of to cooperate witlLsaid walltofior-ma closure while. inanother position.. forma pouring spout.

In addition, the structure employed is` such that an air tight-.seal for thehoused. contentsof the package is provided as wilLappear herein aided by the appended. drawing forming. .part hereof wherein:

Figures 1 and 2 are perspectives of a boxoi the present invention andwhereinthe twofserve like purposesfbut differ slightly in. structure one from the other.

Figure 3shows in perspective al portionk ofthe box of Figure 1 asitappears during.fahrication.-

Figure 4 is a verticalsection-oithebQX-.Igr ure 1.

Figure 5.is.a1soa verticall section of thebox according toFigure 4 show-ing, the completionof. they sealing thereof.

Figure 6 is a planofa portionof; the boxofk Figure 1' showing two positionsofi a. portion that forms a pouring spout, as well; asV a closure for said box.

Figure 'l is an elevation of one.of.thernarrow sides of the box of Figure 1. andi the position thereat of a closure portion prior to its attachto said box.,`

Ir'igureV is a plan of theboxshownin EigureZ during its fabrication, and

Figure 9 is a vertical section of the box as `produced on line 9 9 of'Figure 2;

Paper vboxes for packaging cereals in looseform,

and other dry iiowable commodities, usually,- as is known, are constructed of relatively thick paper for providing sturdy packages, andare flatinzform and-whose broad sides are connected by narrower ides, and at top and bottom. portions.

ln accordancev with the present invention, one of thenarrow walls of thefbox;.referred tofaslthe front wall, is provdediwithfaexlible upperfportion connected to the side walls of the box but free to move relative to the top wall of the box, this exible portion being in one position centrally depressed inwardly to form a closure and in another position outwardly extended to form a pouring spout. When depressed inwardly, said flexible portion of the front wall forms a closure with the' top. wall of thebox. When, extended outwardly to form a-spout theflexible portion also. allows introduction of a dischargeinozzle forlling ofthe box with a commodity. That this may be understood reference ishad to Figuresl and 3, forx example, wherein one.. offthe. broader sides. of.`the box. is denoted at I',.while.2 is vtheltop portionor wall.A

Inlconstructing the boxv a lower, part.only of'a frontnarrow. wall. is employed, an opening, 4` being, thus left below andlextendingto the plane of said top wall`,.see Figure 3',.and, in addition, saidlt'op wallisrecessed as .at 5.50. thata. wider gap. is provided at the top. corner. ofl the .b.ox where, ordinarily, the. topA and narrow .wall meet. At the gan thus. createdfisplaced a iiexible.v portion 6.. by. which such gap may beeither exposed or closed, as desired'. In..this connectioniattenf tion. is. directed to` Figure.. '7. wherein said. portion 6 .is shown in. its developedform, .orbefore .its .attachment to. the.. box.. It isnotedthai-theV top. edge 7 thereof, ispreferably arched andlies'between dotted. lines, .a, ,a, of. thatY figure, .while Aop-v posite.. flap .portions .8 extend.. beyond. or... outward from said lines ,t a, a.

ltlisr'al'so. noted that the .edgeoithe arched portionl mayliesubstantially. flush, wth.the. top

2 ofthe box, while the lower. edge ofsaidI portion 5. extends..below theI edge. of the..side..3 .at the namedlopening 4.

Since thisportion takes up two opposite posi-- tions its lateral'measurement,y aslshown inFi'g.- urcsv 2 andnmust besuchithatit. may lie; within the box. b eneatlfiv to top ..asA in., Figures 4. andgi, adjacent or; beyond therecess 5.,ias,wel l as.to lie. outward from theboxto ,serve as -apouringaspout Consisting. of.. fairly heavy paper `this said por;- tion.issecured' atits lower edge bygluing or ca inenting. it to the: wall .3, while the..flaps8- are likewise afxed to: opposite walls I. In-thus attaching the material the aps in being...drawn towardeachjotherior their attachment,1 thus-provide the recnlired.v ff.ul1ness,..` the.. material at -thedotted lines ,.a, a, beingfabutted upQB-.theuprig-htboxcorner` Theuppen arched. edge` of the saidY portion ape,- pears. somewhat( as.- in Figure '7` whensaid por-tion. lies i midway.. of, its` extremes ot swinging. move ment, but when lying at either: extremeaidedge substantially.parailelsthaplane of, thel top. 2 at the recess 5', or, as shown, it may lie beneath said top beyond the recess, the arched edge of the portion 6 in the position shown in Figure 4 taking a straight line when the portion lies at either of its extreme positions.

In attaching the portion 6 to the front side or wall 3 to close the opening 4, said portion, for practical purposes, may be considered a continuation of said side.

It is the desire of all manufacturers and distributors that materials packaged shall be kept air tight, and as moisture proof as possible. As an aid to such desire an additional closure is shown in Figures 1 and 5. That is to say, a strip of material 9 may be aixed to the box to overlie the position of the portion and the adjacentl top corner of the said box. A

The box shown in Figures 2, S and 9 follows the intent of the earlier figures. In this form, however, the box during its manufacture may be so manipulated that the corner thereof to carry the pouring spout is initially made wider than the balance thereof. That is to say, in Figure 8 and the box sides are denoted at i', the top and front sides being represented at 2' and 3 respectively, and as before a recess 5 is provided in the former. It is observed that the width of said front side or Wall 3 at its lower portion is the width of the box to be completed. However, its upper portion as well as the top portion adjacent thereto are wider than the box to be nished as denoted by the vbroken lines in Figures 1 and 8. By means of a suitable die, or other means, not shown, the said front wall 3 is then buckled to an extent suicient to bring the opposite Walls i into parallelism thus creating the spout portion E' as an integral part of the structure, and which, as before, may be moved to opposite extreme positions, the top edge of said portion 6 having the arched form also, as in Figure 7, to provide a tight closure beneath the top 2 when said portion passes inwardly beyond the recess 5', this also being true in Figure 1.

As the completing step a strip S may be provided to cover the position of the portion E' as described in respect to the form rst described.

Though of no importance here, it may be stated that, naturally, the top 2' is also widened at the spout position. But since, during the manufacture of the box, the top is usually of an open apped construction it can be readily adapted to conform to the nal proper width to conform with the balance of said box.

Quite naturally, the material as cut for the second form described will provide for the arching of the wall 3 at 'l' for the purpose already brought out herein.

It is thus seen that the box or package as provided can be readily supplied with the material and the latter can as readily be poured.

That the portion S may be more readily withdrawn outward to its dispensing position, if desired, a pull tab lil may be alixed thereto as in figures of the rst form described, this tab being denoted also at l' in Figures 2 and 9 of the second described form.

It is to be stated that the recess 5, 5 in the top 2, 2' is desirable when the material Stored is of large type such as corn akes, said recess and the recess created by the open spout portion permitting a free iiow; a material of smaller particles, as corn mean, for example, will flow freely without providing or requiring said recess 5, 5'.

What is claimed is:

l. A rectangular container including parallel sil side walls, a front wall connecting said side walls, and a top wall having a recess extending rearwardly from the plane of the front side of the container and opening upon said front side, part of said front wall being flexible and arcuately curved in a lateral direction adapted to swing with respect to side walls and lying between the same in one position thereof in close proximity to the margin of said top wall at said recess forming With said top wall a closure for the container, and in another position lying outward from the plane of said front side of the latter in spaced relation to the said margin of the top wall providing an escape opening for the contents of said container.

2. The structure deiined in claim 1 including a sealing member affixed to the container overlying part of the top wall and covering the front side of said container when the flexible part of the front wall is in the position first named.

3. A dispensing container comprising a top wall, spaced parallel side walls joined to said top wall, and a front Wall, said :iront wall including a iiexible upper centrally depressed portion joined at its side edges to said side walls but being free to move relative to said top wall, saidupper depressed portion of said front wall presenting an inwardly curved outer face, the depth o f such curvature increasing progressively toward said top wall, the upper edge of said iiexible portion abutting the under surface of said top wall to form a closure, and exposed pull tab means carried by said iiexible upper portion of said front wall whereby the curvature of said flexible upper portion may be reversed to form a pouring spout presenting a convex outer surface.

4. A dispensing container comprising a top wall, spaced parallel side walls joined to said top wall, and a front wall, said front wall including a exible upper centrally depressed portion joined at its side edges to said side walls but being free to move relative to said top wall, said upper depressed portion of said front wall presenting an inwardly curved upwardly flaring outer face, the depth of such curvature increasing progressively toward said top wall, the upper edge of said iiexible portion abutting the under surface of said top wall to form a closure, whereby upon reversing the curvature of said exible upper p0rtion a tapered pouring spout is formed presenting a convex outer surface.

ROBERT BARNES CARTWRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,294,964 Davidson Sept. 8, i942 2,348,310 Rous May 9, 1944 2,377,472 Glover June 5, 1945 2,417,550 Guyer Mar. 18, 194'? FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 466,947 Great Britain June 8, 1937 

